(This post originally appeared on Forbes)
Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 — Google is planning to give slow websites a new badge of shame in Chrome.
Google will be experimenting with slow-loading websites in Chrome by providing them with a badge of shame. For the experiment, Chrome will be identifying sites that routinely load slow or fast with a clear badge in the future. The tech giant plans to play around with a few different versions in order to decide which is the most beneficial for users. Through the experiment, Google will be looking at historical data to find out which sites typically run slow, flag them, and provide a badge that will appear, detailing the poor performance of the site. (Source: The Verge)
Why this is important for your business:
One of the many mistakes small business owners like myself make with our websites is not checking their performance. For years, Google has been penalizing sites that load slowly or perform poorly by pushing them down in search results. This recent “experiment” is escalating the issue further. So what to do? See how fast your site loads by using tools from Google and read this great how-to guide from SEO firm Moz. Then work with your web developers to identify what is causing your site to slowdown and fix. Because it’s all about being found, right?
2 — WhatsApp Business debuted their product catalogs to enrich mobile chats.
WhatsApp Business— which is owned by Facebook—has started to let their small business customers put together catalogs to help display their products while they are chatting with customers. Prior to the update, businesses were required to send information and photos of their products to customers individually, which made for time-consuming communication. Both iPhone and Android users are able to see a wide variety of products while allowing them to remain in the chat rather than having to go to a separate website in order to get information and photos regarding products. (Source: Mobile Marketer)
Why this is important for your business:
If your business is regularly using WhatsApp to communicate with your customers – and I bet if you’re doing a lot of business with European customers you are – then these new features should help you make your products more quickly available and, hopefully, sellable.
3 — Microsoft will be dropping its Invoicing, Outlook Customer Manager, and Skype Translator bot products.
Microsoft has announced that they will be phasing out and discontinuing three of their small-business products over the next year: Microsoft Invoicing, Outlook Customer Manager, and Skype Translator. Microsoft Invoicing and Outlook Customer Manager are likely being phased out due to low usage, while Microsoft’s new Translated Conversations feature will be replacing Skype Translator. Microsoft started letting customers of both Customer Manager and Invoicing know last week that the products would be discontinued in the first half of the new year. Customers impacted by the changes will be given offers to replace the apps. (Source: ZDNet)
Why this is important for your business:
Is Microsoft abandoning small business? By getting rid of these tools you might think so. But I don’t believe that’s happening. As I write here, instead of dealing directly with difficult smaller customers, Microsoft has politely punted the obligation to its partners – and that’s OK. (My firm, The Marks Group PC, is a Microsoft partner.)
4 — Middle market companies are boosting their tech upgrades to help drive growth.
According to a new survey, investing in technology is becoming more and more of a priority for middle market companies, who are now putting a stronger emphasis on computer software and hardware upgrades. The survey revealed that 92% of business leaders in the middle market felt that investing in technology would be critical in order for them to attract new customers and retain current ones. 68% of the participants also confirmed that investing in technology allowed their businesses to grow in the previous 12 months. The survey also pointed out the fact that skilled employees—coupled with an investment in technology—are key when it comes to providing high-quality customer service and overall business performance. (Source: ABL Advisor)
Why this is important for your business:
Does this come as a surprise? Hopefully not. But if you’re running a small business it’s important to recognize the priority that’s being given to technology by middle market companies. Are you doing the same?
5— Google now lets businesses customize Calljoy, the automated telephone customer service agent.
In other Google news, the search engine giant announced this week that there will be a significant upgrade to their automated, cloud-based telephone customer service agent, Calljoy. Since its debut, businesses using Calljoy get a virtual phone number that—not only blocks spam— but also includes an automated agent that could provide business hours and other basic information, send SMS links to place orders or book appointments, as well as provide analytics which include call recordings and transcriptions. (Source: Venture Beat)
Why this is important for your business:
The newer version of Calljoy will now allow businesses to program their automated agent to help handle common questions it receives by simply asking customers how they can help them. While Calljoy is not yet an actual finished product of Google, businesses across the country do have access to the service at a charge. It’s another example of how big software companies are creating artificial intelligence-based tools to automate processes. Smart business owners will embrace these tools to improve productivity and keep overhead under control.
